Tips for Traveling with Kids for the Holidays

Thanksgiving and Christmas, probably the two most traveled times of the year. Especially as a family… which usually means road trips!I know with having three boys in the van for our trips, things can sometimes get a little hectic and overwhelming.

I’m by no means an expert in traveling because we don’t do it a lot, which makes me in need of some traveling tips from some of the 20 Moms!

Have you met the 20 Moms? The 20 Moms are ‘mom’ blogs that I truly adore and would recommend to anyone in a heartbeat. You can follow all their content on the 20 Must Follow Moms on Pinterest. They’re here to lend their advice for traveling with kids this holiday season!

My number one tip for traveling with kids is to take a Dodge Grand Caravan (Honest to goodness, it really is, we absolutely love ours!). Our sponsor, Dodge, would like to know, which Dodge vehicle would you most like to take for a spin this holiday season?

I recently got to test-drive a brand new 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan with all the bells and whistles! Incredible! The rear-view camera is a must on my list now and I never thought I needed the DVD player in the back, but realized how handy that will come in when traveling during the holidays.

Dodge invented the minivan segment 30 years ago. And the Grand Caravan still reigns supreme, thanks to more than 75 minivan firsts. I recently got to test drive a new Dodge Grand Caravan and try out all the cool features, suchs as the class-exclusive Super Stow ‘n Go® and dual Blu-rayTM DVD players and a Best-in-Class storages system, both awesome for traveling with kids, no doubt! No wonder it’s America’s Best Selling and Most Awarded Minivan ever.

Tips for Traveling with Kids from the 20 Moms:

Prepare the car ahead of time:

(In the pockets of the Dodge Grand Caravan’s back doors) consider placing a container of baby wipes in each one. They’re perfect for quickie clean-ups of all kinds and for wiping off dirty hands before/after eating snacks. – Tiffany, Peanut Blossom

Cover car seats with a crib sheet, they fit perfectly and make post-trip cleanup easier… And the bucket pulley is our best tip by far! – Rachel, Kids Activities Blog

Plan an extra hour into travel plans for meal stops and bathroom breaks with the kids. The kids need those longer, more active breaks. I find that if we plan for it, then we aren’t as stressed about it taking the extra time. – Amanda, Not Just Cute

Bribery. Pack a toy in your packed luggage and promise your child they can open it if they have good behavior on the trip. – Allison, No Time for Flash Cards

Wrap up a few new toys from the dollar store and bring them out every 1-2 hours to introduce new excitement. – Anna, The Imagination Tree

For longer trips we choose something (maybe horses, cows or a certain type of semi for instance) and every time we see them they put a sticker on a paper, or on the back of the seat in front of them. – Alissa, Creative with Kids

Track miles driven that way. Ahead of time I draw a trail with boxes for every 25 miles we will be driving. They get to put a sticker in the box for each 25 mile stretch – it helps them see how far we have left to go. – Alissa, Creative with Kids

Play some great active music such as the Wiggles to get them moving and singing along, or longer stories and rhymes on CD for encouraging some calm down time. – Anna, The Imagination Tree

Get children looking out the window and talking about what they see, where they are going, what towns or cities they are passing through, what cars or trucks are on the road, who is going fast or slow, which signs are big or little, short or tall, for stores or highways. Invite children to help you find an exit then pay attention to how to get back onto the highway. In other words, there is a world of learning just waiting to happen on any trip and with a little creative thinking, you can find it right outside the car window. – Deborah, Teach Preschool

Take another adult with you, so they can entertain the kids in the back! A Dodge Grand Caravan is awesome for this.

If you’re lucky enough to have a built-in DVD player, like the Grand Caravan has, it’ll definitely come in handy for long road trips! Pack some of the kids’ favorite movies (that they can all agree on so there’s no fighting!), put on the headphones they come with and enjoy a little peace and quiet (even if its just for a little bit).

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